There's a gold mine in the garbage.

• Position: On First Reading - Brief Article

Pennsylvania has found a booming business in a commodity states thumb their noses at--taking in other people's trash.

About 27 million tons of solid waste is disposed of in Pennsylvania annually, about half of which comes from out of state. The Keystone State receives more out-of-state waste than any other because it is a Northeast crossroads state, and its neighbors, New York and New Jersey, are the largest exporters of waste.

The industry generated between $1.9 billion and $2.4 billion in revenues in 2000, accounted for 19,000 jobs and pumped more than $100 million in "host fees" into municipal and county governments, according to a Pennsylvania Waste Industry Association study.

In the past, revenue from solid waste has generated more than $60 million a year for municipal recycling programs and state environmental grants. That amount is expected to be in excess of $160 million annually since Pennsylvania raised its tipping tax by $4 per ton.

Every state except Hawaii exports or imports solid waste. While out-of-state waste is a political concern for legislators, governors and environmentalists, rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court say it is a commodity of interstate commerce. As such, it cannot be banned by states or local governments.

Pennsylvania gave out permits from 1995 to 2000 to expand landfills, increasing disposal capacity from 146 million...